by Adam Kiefaber and Ally Marotti, The Cincinnati Enquirer

by Adam Kiefaber and Ally Marotti, The Cincinnati Enquirer

CINCINNATI -- Fire crews and investigators remained Saturday on the property of a Indian Hill mansion that was consumed by flames Friday afternoon.

Lt. Kevin Scheuerman of the Madeira and Indian Hill Joint Fire District said the investigation is now being led by Ohio's Division of State Fire Marshal along with the Hamilton County Arson Task Force. He said the state fire marshal is handling the investigation because of the home's value â?? more than $4 million according to the Hamilton County auditor's website.

Scheuerman also estimates crews and investigators will remain on the scene "24/7" through the weekend and into Monday. It might be late next week until the cause of the fire is released, he said.

Michael Duchesne, spokesman with the state fire marshal, said it is still early in the investigation and the cause is undetermined. He said they were conducting interviews Saturday and that the unofficial damage estimate is $5 million.

One of the first responders, Lt. Jim Gilligan, said the home is a complete loss. Gilligan said he first arrived at the mansion, which was more than 10,000 square feet, around 3:30 p.m. Friday. He didn't return to the fire station until 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

"It had a good head start," Gilligan said. "The fire was larger than the water immediately available. It was a defensive attack from the start. At no time did anyone ever enter the structure due to the advanced fire conditions."

Gilligan said that is undetermined whether there were smoke detectors in the home. He said there was a fire hydrant at the home, but the fire was too large for the amount of water it was producing.

Roughly 80 firefighters battled the blaze.

Gilligan confirmed that no one was injured in the fire.

A responder at the scene described large flames that reached as high as 30 feet upon arrival, according to emergency communications. Smoke could be seen from miles away.

Gilligan said that the fire was out around 10:30 or 11 p.m. Friday.

The home was built in 2006 and features 22 rooms, including five bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and three half bathrooms.

Maria Decker is listed as the owner. One of her sons, Chase Decker, posted about the fire on Facebook at about 4:30 p.m., asking for prayers.

"Please pray for my family, you will soon see on the news that our home has burned down and there is nothing left of our possessions," Chase wrote. "Thankfully everyone is safe including our dogs."